Bedtime Stories
by kronosdragon
Summary: Pyro always enjoyed listening to his teammates. He was never one to speak much, but his passion for storytelling lives in his love of listening to them. When he isn't being told stories by the Medic, he often listens the burdens of his other teammates. Oneshot, very short. Enjoy.


Every mercenary has a story. Where they came from, why they enlisted, and where they hope to be after the war is over. Pyro was no exception, but because of high social anxiety and an intense fear of speaking directly to others, he did not often share. He loved to listen, though. If any one of the team needed someone to talk to, they usually came to him. He was quiet, and rarely spoke out against anyone. He was content to go with the flow, and due to his own shortcomings, was very non-judgmental. He probably knew more about everyone than anyone really cared to know, and not on an informational scale like the Spy was want to do. No, he was familiar with people on a more psychological scale, despite his own psychology.

Pyro was always willing to listen to a story, whether it be real or fictional. He never learned how to read beyond a third-grade level, so he preferred to have others tell the stories to him. It wasn't often, but every now and then, the Medic would indulge him and tell him a bedtime story. It was a sweet sentiment, one that Pyro always thanked the Medic for, knowing that the German was not much of a people person himself. So, whenever he would get a knock on his door in the evening, his little heart fluttered as the hope of it being the Medic made his happiness swell. He swiftly pulled the mask over his face - his only wall between him and the terror of the outer world - and called out to whoever was behind the door.

"Crmm rnn."

He pulled the blankets up around his shoulders, feeling safer behind them. He wasn't so much afraid of the Medic himself, just the fact that he was a person. People in general just made him uncomfortable.

When it wasn't the Medic that had walked in, he felt his heart sink. Instead, it was the Engineer.

"Hey there, sport," Engie said, giving him a smile. He knew the Pyro was as nervous as a wild horse when it came to people, so he kept his voice soft and his demeanor as homely as possible. "Medic has a lot of work to catch up on, so he asked me if ah would come talk to you for him."

Pyro lit up a little behind the mask. Just the fact that Medic was thinking of him at all surprised him, much more the fact that he had thought to send Engie - who was the next nicest person Pyro knew - to come and spend time with him.

"Mhhdhh shhh yhh?"

"Yeah. Ah had some stuff ah wanted to talk to you about anyway, so ah figured ah would take him up on the offer."

Pyro gave a happy little noise of approval, which seemed to make Engie smile.

"Well, ah guess that, first things first, ah wanted to thank ya' for being such a good listener an' all. It seems the only one who doesn't like talking to anyone is the Spah, but you know how he is."

Actually, Pyro did know. Spy sometimes came to his room late, late at night, when insomnia strikes him the hardest and he just wants some company. The man wasn't as invincible as he liked to paint himself around the rest of the team, and enjoys the company of others just as much as anyone. He was only human, after all. Pyro said nothing to correct Engie, though. He was a listener, not a speaker. He did give a small nod of thanks, an embarrassed blush rising behind his mask.

"What ah wanted to talk about, though, doesn't have anythin' to do with him. Ah, uh, found out today that my ma and pa passed away…"

He took off the hardhat that he loved so much and held it in his hands, looking it over in the dim light of the room. Even behind the welding goggles, an intense sadness was reflected in the features around his eyes as he tried to find the words to say.

"They were side-swiped by a train. That darned van finally broke down, and they weren't able to get out in time to beat the train. They were only in their late 50's…"

Pyro reached out to pat him on the shoulder, even though everything in his mind was screaming at him not to touch anyone, no matter who they were. Engie took off the goggles, letting them hang with the blue bandana that was tied around his neck. His silver-blue eyes glistened with tears.

"An'…An' ah can't even go to the funeral. Ah'm stuck here, fightin' in this god-forsaken war…They won't let me leave."

He looked at Pyro, his face contorted into a grimace.

"What am ah goin' to do? All ah have left now is my brother. He'll be the only one there from our family to watch ma and pa be buried. Ah can't even be there for him…"

Pyro, again, patted Engie's shoulder. As far as he knew, he had no parents. He was an orphan, so he understood the pain of having no one. Engie wiped a sleeve across his face, sweeping away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Do you know what it's like to lose someone?"

Pyro shook his head. He never had anyone to lose.

"I hope that you don't ever have to know what that feels like," Engie said.

Pyro had to disagree. He rarely lifted his mask for anything, but he wanted Engie to hear him clearly for this. When Engie noticed Pyro pulling the mask up, he went silent for a moment.

"E-Engie," Pyro started, his voice raspy and wavering, "I'm sure th-that it hurts. It m-must hurt like nothing else. But…I-I would ra-rather know what it's l-like to have someone to lose, than to n-never have had anyone."

"Oh…A-Ah'm sorry, I didn't know you-"

"N-No, it's okay," Pyro said, his smile faint, but visible. "Y-You didn't know. It's f-fine."

He pulled the mask back down and pulled his hand away from Engie. He could only take so much physical contact. Engie seemed to understand, at least. Pyro was never very good at speaking to anyone, but he had hoped that the Texan would get the message. Engie smiled to himself as he looked at the floor.

"Ya' know, I never took you for the wizened type. Ah bet you've got a lot of things up in that head of yours that nobody knows or understands."

Pyro felt another hot blush rise to his cheeks, shrugging as he looked at his interlaced fingers, resting them in his lap. Pyro shook his head slowly, but Engie would have none of it.

"In fact, it's a shame that you don't like talkin' to people much. I bet you have a lot of things to say that we could learn from."

Pyro quickly shook his head, feeling a nervous sweat beading on his skin. Engie chuckled.

"Nah, I wouldn't put you on the spot like that. You're more nervous than a pig in a slaughterhouse."

Pyro calmed down slightly, his heart thumping in anxiety. He breathed carefully, making sure he wouldn't hyperventilate.

"Ah'm glad you take the time to listen to every lil' thing we come to you with. Ah bet you've heard some stories that would make the Spah jealous."

Pyro had to chuckle at that. True, he had heard some tall tales, mostly from Scout and Soldier, but they were stories regardless. He still enjoyed them. Every story was a good story, even if it's sad, like the one Engie came to him with. In the end, Pyro knew everything would be okay, because Engie solves harder problems on a daily basis. He knew that he would get through it alright.

"It must get tiresome, though, right? Having everyone come to you with their problems…Ah know ah have enough problems as it is, ah couldn't imagine bearing the issues of most everyone else in this base," he said with a scowl. "How do you manage?"

Pyro shrugged. He really didn't care. His life had always been uneventful. The only reason he enlisted in this war to get out of jail for trying to make his life more interesting. He liked fire and the way that it danced, but not everyone likes it as much as he does, and he ended up scaring someone. Being labeled as an arsonist doesn't go over well with most people…

"Thanks for listenin' though," Engie said. "Ah feel better, being able to talk to someone about it. It makes the hurt go away a little faster."

Pyro gave a small, happy noise through the filter of his mask. Engie chuckled.

"Ah should prolly go to bed soon."

He patted Pyro on the back, making him cringe slightly. Engie quickly removed his gloved hand.

"Eh heh heh, sorry pardner."

Pyro waved it off. He was sad to see Engie go so soon, but the company of the Texan, and knowing that he felt better after having a little talk, felt just as good as any bedtime story Medic could tell him.


End file.
